Art of manufacturing metallic members used in car construction.



PATEN'TED AUG. 15,, 1905..

R. N LOWE?" ART OF MANUFACTURING METALLIC MEMBERS USED IN GARCONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, 1904.

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[ V] T N E $515 5 NTTE STS FFIUE.

REGINALD N. LOW'RY, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

ART OF MANUFACTURING METALLIC MEMBERS USED IN CAR CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed November 19, 1904. Serial No. 233,389.

To all whom, (it may concern:

Be it known that i, REGINALD N. LOWRY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented, new and useful Improvements in the Art ofManufacturing Metallic Members Used in Car Construction, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to the method or art of manufacturing a certainmetallic member or blank which is substantially a round bar or rod withflat ends and which in various forms is used on cars as grab-irons,ladders, brake-lever guides, railings, roping-staples, and the like, theobject of the flat end being to allow of a hole being made in the memberby which it is secured to the car with rivets or bolts.

The object of my invention is to produce this round bar or rod with flatends in a cheaper and quicker way than has been the practice heretofore.

My invention consists in the novel process of manufacturing this rodwith flat ends, by which process the material used is the scrap metalsheared off in finishing the plates ontering into the car construction.The machinery used is that which is idle for a large part of the time incar-shops and which will allow of making this member in quantities withone operation, as is hereinafter set forth and claimed.

When the end of a round metallic bar is flattened, the cross-sectionalarea of the flat portion is less than the cross-sectional area of theround body, this being caused by the tendency of the metal to moveequally in all directions from the center of the flattening force, theportions moving lengthwise of the bar being lost to the cross-sectionalarea of the flattened portion. The rods used to perform the functions oncars hereinbefore stated are so small in diameter that it has been foundimpractical to only flatten the ends on account of this decrease in thecrosssectional area of the flattened end, which is further weakened bythe rivet-hole. Hence we have the present practice, which is as follows:A round metallic bar of the requisite length is procured, and the endsare upset and then flattened. This operation of upsetting is tocompensate for the decreases in the crosssectional area of the ends, asalready set forth,

and requires much time and skilled labor and four heats to be taken.

My improved process is as follows, attention being directed to theaccompanying drawings, in whicl Figures 1 to 6 show the various stagesin the development of the member in question as made by my process.

A rectangular metallic bar is procured from the scrap material shearedoff in finishing plates, such as I show in plan and side views by Figs.1 and 2. This bar is then heated to a forging heat and formed by meansof a die and in a press for a certain distance between its ends to around or similar shape in crosssection, leaving the ends in theiroriginal flat shape, as shown in plan and side views by Figs. 3 and 4t.Figs. 5 and 6 show one of the many forms into which this member is bentto suit it to the requirements. The tendency of the metal to moveequally in all directions, as hereinbefore stated, must be considered inmynew process also. As the rectangular bar in this case is compressedlengthwise in a die to a round section, it is necessarily elongatedsomewhat and reduced in cross-section. Hence the rectangular bar isprocured of a larger cross-sectional area than the re quircd round bodyand correspondingly shorter, with the result that after being formed theflat ends remaining in their original shape will have an excess ofmaterial in their cross-section to compensate for the rivetholetherethrough. Thus it will be seen that in one operation and with onlyone heat this rectangular bar is formed into its required shape frommaterial that was otherwise scrap.

Having shown that my new process of manufacture will produce the samemember as is produced by the present method, the follow ing advantageswill be found in favor of my method: scrap metal used as material, thebar heated to a forging heat once only, a cheaper grade of mechanicallabor used, by inserting a plurality of dies in the press a number ofthe members can be made in one operation, the final bending of themember to suit the requirements will be the same, in either case.

It is to be understood that a slight variation in the method ofmanufacture may be introduced without constituting a substantialdeparture. For instance, the order of the various steps may betransposed. The cen tral portion may be formed to a polygon orelliptical shape or the like instead of a round shape.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The art of manufacturing car-blanks and the like, consisting inproviding a flat or rectangular bar and forging the part between theends to a round or approximately round shape in cross-section, leavingthe ends in a flat shape.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence or two Witnesses.

REGINALD N. LOVRY. Witnesses:

M. B. BATES, R. B. Coon.

